


Lillie Can't Confess!

by SomeWrittenStuff



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Awkward Romance, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Hau/Gladion is also there, Lillie is an eternal butt monkey, Moon is mostly mute, Romance, Some angst, the plot takes a bit to get going, they're like 14 here if you're wondering, this started simple but got way out of hand
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-05-19 18:46:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeWrittenStuff/pseuds/SomeWrittenStuff
Summary: After a year and a half abroad, Lillie takes the Island Challenge, accompanied by Moon. However she doesn’t truly want to become the region’s champion, she merely wants to build up the courage to ask her companion out. Unfortunately, these attempts are constantly interrupted by Moon’s busy schedule, Lillie’s own nervousness, and the fabric of reality being torn apart.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting to AO3 so sorry if there's formatting errors. This is also my first time writing a fanfic; I like writing original stuff but this idea just kind of grabbed hold of me.

A year and a half. For a year and a half she had been gone. Exactly 542 days ago, she had counted, Lillie had left the only world she had ever known to embark on a quest to help her mother recover from her insanity. And now, after so long, she was finally heading home.

The waves crashed against the bow of the ship as Lillie looked over the horizon from it’s front. Well, as far in front as she could make it, as her way was blocked by at least a dozen of tourists snapping pictures of the region that slowly appeared in front of the setting sun.

Despite the crowd blocking most of the view, the day’s surprisingly harsh wind blew strong against her. She clasped her white cap down to her head, clutching onto her luggage case and bag with her other hand. She’d already packed her things hours ago, she wanted to meet the Alolan ground as soon as she could. Actually, now that she thought about it, she was wasting time; the boat was due to dock in half an hour, others must surely be lining up to get off now!

She made a quick turn and dashed off to where the cruise ship’s exit would be when it docked. It was unneeded when she thought about it, Professor Oak going to this length to send her home just because she once offhandedly mentioned she was afraid of heights. The people of Kanto were nice and welcoming, especially for the daughter of a disgraced millionaire. It almost made her wish she’d stayed longer.

But she didn’t.

If you were to ask Lillie why she came back when she did, in the middle of her mother’s rehabilitation, she’d give any number of excuses. She might say that she missed Alola and her friends, that she wanted to help her brother rebuild Aether Foundation, or even that she left her night light plugged in and she was afraid it would start a spak and cause the professor’s lab to burn down. And, while this was certainly all true (she never called the professor about it because she thought he’d say she was being “too worried, yeah”, the thought still lingered in the back of her mind), she was returning for one specific reason above any other.

There was this girl named Moon. Moon was Lillie’s best friend for the few months they had known each other. The two had traveled Alola together, fighting against Team Skull and trying to save a small cosmic cotton ball Lillie had named “Nebby” from her mother’s evil organization. Well, she had to admit it to herself, Moon really did do all the work. But, still, Moon inspired her to do her best and she wouldn’t have come as far as she has if it wasn’t for her. And that seemed all fine to Moon. Moon seemed to be the type of person that would go to the ends of the earth to see someone smile.

There’s also one other very important thing about Moon: Lillie had a gigantic crush on her.

For the past year and a half, Lillie had to live with the regrets of not confessing to Moon the night before she left, that she left without warning, and that all of this may have caused Moon to hold a grudge. Though, if she ever did hold a grudge, it never showed in their frequent letters to each other, detailing their recent adventures and hijinx. Lillie’s usually concerned the progress of her mother’s recovery while Moon’s mostly talked about Pokemon battles that she always won. Despite rarely saying anything, Moon went into a lot of details when she wrote.

Lillie had debated confessing to Moon in one of her letters, but this was a problem she had to tackle head-on. She had to do this in person, she decided. It was what Moon would have done.

_Everyone’s going to be there,_ Lillie thought, _Moon will be there too. And when I see her, I won’t waste any time_. Before she knew it, Lillie had made it to the soon-to-be exit. _When this boat docks,_ _I’m going to confess to Moon._

_Besides, it might be stressful, but it’s not the end of the world._


	2. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the first chapter / prologue were originally going to be one thing, but I felt it ran too long and I couldn't transition well from the boat to the dock without a chapter break.

 

The sun of an eternal summer had set by the time the cruise ship carrying Lillie home had reached the Melemele Island docks. Some of the ship’s passengers were behind the young blonde, eagerly waiting to rush down to the wooden platforms as soon as she could, while others were preparing to turn in for the night and would instead explore the island tomorrow.

“Attention,” the overhead speakers boomed, “We have secured the ship to the dock and passengers are now free to explore the island. Those planning on continuing their trip, please return by tomorrow night at midnight Alolan time.”

Lillie craned her neck and frantically looked around the dock below, searching for her friends. It didn’t take long to find the group of four people waving their arms in the air at her with a sign reading “Welcome Home!” written in marker on it. She waved back, almost jumping up and down with her luggage in hand.

“You might want to calm down,” a crew attendant said from behind, “You don’t want to trip over yourself on the way down.”

With that, the ramp home slid out and Lillie took off.  _ Trip over myself? That’s ludicr--  _ Before she could finish her thought, her foot hit her luggage and sent her tumbling down the ramp, ending with her face flat on the wood of the docks. Behind her daze, she could hear a small chorus of voices.

“Why did I not expect this.”

“That looked like it hurt.”

“Is she dead?”

“Ah!”

Lillie remained on the ground for a bit, ignored by the stream of disembarking passengers, and it was only when it was evident she wouldn’t get up by herself that a young black-haired girl with a chicken-like hat stepped forward to help her. She turned the blonde over, making sure she was still conscious, before taking her hand and struggling to pull her up. She huffed as she slowly came to realize how small she was compared to the blonde.

Lillie, while conscious, was still in a daze and had yet to fully realize what was going on. The other girl decided it was best to hold her up using her arm, just in case she were to fall again. She considered it a miracle Lillie hadn’t fainted.

Meanwhile, a boy of similar blond hair and a dark-skinned boy with green hair picked up her luggage. “Maybe we should just bring her back to the lab,” the blonde-haired boy said as the girl poked her friend’s face with her free hand, “She might be like this for awhile.”

Suddenly, Lillie gasped and blinked her eyes. “I’m okay, I’m okay!” She got onto her feet to get a better balance, getting knocked in the forehead by the other girl’s hand as she jumped forward.

“Ow.”

Lillie turned around, coming face to face with the other girl’s hat. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Moon!”

“Maybe we really do need to get her somewhere,” the dark-skinned boy said, “She’s talking to hats!” He suddenly burst out laughing. The boy beside him gave a look as if he were seriously considering shoving the other into the water. The look was replaced with a satisfied grin as he did.

“Don’t do that, Gladion,” Lillie shouted at him, “It’s really mean!”  _ Even if he kinda deserves it… _

A laughing and a frantic grin appeared from the water as the dark-skinned boy pulled himself onto the dock. “Okay then, if you want to play it like that, then I’m game!” He suddenly ran toward Gladion and grasped him in a very tight and very wet hug.

“Hau, stop,” Gladion gasped out before his command was followed, “If you’re going to do that, then wait until you’re dry!”

“But that takes the fun out of it!”

“Are you saying that--”

“Hey hey,” interjected the buff man who had been with the three, “We can all have fun and throw water at Gladion later, but we’re here for a different reason.”

Hau gasped. “Right, Professor!” He went to go jump onto Lillie, but was stopped in place by a sharp glare from Moon.

While Moon held the boy back, Lillie turned to the man who was practically beaming at her. “Professor Kukui, it’s been so long! How is Professor Burnet?”

“Ahaha, that is has. She’s doing fine, doing research in another region right now though.” His smile died down a bit, “Speaking of other regions, how is your mother’s rehabilitation coming? Did she do something to make you leave so soon?”

“Oh, oh no!” Her face flushed. “Everything’s fine, she’s coming along really well. I really just missed Alola and everyone here. Sp-- Speaking of which,” she turned to Moon, “There’s something I really got to do before I lose any more time.” Moon simply stood with a happy smile on her face, looking back at Lillie as the two boys were busy shoving each other behind her. “Moon, there’s something I have to say to you.”

Lillie closed her eyes and started the speech the way she had practiced numerous times before, “Way, way back during the whole mess when we met, you were one of the bravest people I’d ever met. And… and you still are, to this day the things you do continue to amaze me, going up against impossible odds and saving the world to even just defending your title. These are things I’d never be able to do.” There was a beeping, but she wouldn’t let it ruin the moment. “And these are things I admire you for. I’ve admired you for so long, since long before I left for Kanto. One of my biggest regrets is not talking to you about this before I got on that boat, and I couldn’t tell you this through one of our letters because… I just couldn’t. This is getting really long winded, but what I’m trying to say is… I… I love you.” She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, ready to accept whatever reaction Moon may give her.

Moon had disappeared.

Instead in front of her was Hau, who was obviously struggling to keep still, and Gladion, who’s hand was placed firmly on his head.

“Well, uh,” Kukui said, scratching the back of his neck as he stepped into her eyeline, “It was certainly a nice speech, in the least.”

“Wh… Where’s Moon,” Lillie managed to get out, “Where’s Moon?!”

“Oh, yeah, she told me to tell you she had to deal with someone wanting to challenge the champion,” Hau said rapidly, “Well, she didn’t really say it, but she did the thing she does where she pointed at her pokedex then pointed at you and then waved. Then she ran off and a Charizard appeared and she was gone.”

“Oh… Uh… Um…” She turned away from her friends to hide her furious blush. “C-- Can we just forget that that happened?”

“Nope.”


	3. A Wild Rowlet Appears

“Ughhh,” Lillie groaned as she walked toward Iki Town, her face hidden behind her hands and her white cap pulled down as low as it would allow, “Why.” She stopped in front of one of the wooden pillars that made up the town’s entrance and began to bang her head against it. “Why. Why. Why. Why.”

She’d stayed in the loft that Professor Kukui had let her use so long ago; nothing had changed except for a small burn mark next to an electrical outlet and a missing nightlight. Still, despite the kindness of the Professor, she’d wanted to get out and think of a new plan before anyone else had awoken or arrived to laugh about the previous night. Even Gladion, her levelheaded brother, had very obviously coughed his way out of a chuckle as he told Hau to keep the whole thing between the group.

“Now everyone knows you like Moon except for Moon!” She continued to hit her head on the pillar. “You idiot! Why didn’t you notice she left? How could this get any worse?” To answer her question, something hard fell off the structure and clonked her on the head, sending her to the ground. “Why did I have to open my mouth?”

“Koo!”

Lillie did the best to shake off the dirt and twigs that had fallen into her hair before pushing herself off the ground and looking at what exactly had fallen on her. Before her, in a mess of leaves, sticks, and dirt, was a small orb of a bird. “A Rowlet?”

Rowlets were a rare sight, Lillie had only ever seen one before, back when Moon and Hau were choosing their starting Pokemon. Of course, neither had chosen the leafy bird; instead Moon chose the clown-nosed seal and Hau had chosen the… cat. She couldn’t really think of any other defining attributes; it was a cat that could breathe fire, if she remembered correctly.

Similar to Lillie, the Rowlet got off the ground and onto it’s two feet, only to begin jumping up and down and shrieking, “Koo! Koo koo koo!”

She got on her knees and stared down at the borb (a shorthand for ‘bird orb’ Moon had come up with before settling on her Popplio), “I’m sorry, was that your nest?”

The Rowlet began pecking at her as an answer. She quickly got on her feet and backed up into the pole.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” The bird continued, slowly moseying toward her feet and pecking at the air. “Um… If I help you make a new nest, will that work as repayment?” The bird stopped.

“Koo.”

Lillie let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I guess that’s a yes then.” Promptly, she bent down and picked up her new companion, holding it toward her chest. “Come on; let’s go to Maholi Trail, there’s lots of trees there.”

* * *

 

Just beyond the small town was a trail that led to the Ruins of Conflict, with a grove and bridge before it. The trees above nearly blocked out the light of the sun, most of the light coming from above the ravine the bridge crossed over.

Lillie set the Rowlet down and looked across the bridge. She could still remember the first time she had come to this bridge; the first time she had met Moon and the first time she nearly lost her. The memory of her and Nebby falling down into the pit below still shook her when she thought about it, thought it obviously turned out well in the end.

_ You know, _ Lillie thought to herself,  _ This would be the perfect spot to confess. It’s beautiful and secluded and it holds sentimental value to both of us. I could totally-- _

Her train of thought was suddenly derailed by an angry bird pecking at her legs. “Gah!”

“Koo.” Rowlet used its left wing to point at the trees and then at its feet. “Koo koo koo.” It then walked off to the nearest tree and started picking up fallen sticks and twigs.

“Right, right, the nest.” Lillie sighed and followed suit, walking briskly toward some of the further and fuller trees to collect larger branches then bringing them back to where Rowlet had started a pile. This continued on for a bit, until Lillie noticed something about the bird.

“Hey, wouldn’t flying make this a bit easier,” she turned to her companion, who was currently pecking hard at a larger branch to make it usable size, “Like, just fly up to some of the branches and use Wing Attack or something to cut it down?”

Rowlet gave her a growl and let out a dark, “Koo.” After a moment of Lillie simply staring back in surprise, it held out its left wing in full spread as it tried to do the same for its right, only for it to fall limply at its side. “Koo koo.”

“Oh, your wing is broken, isn’t it?” She walked over to it and pet its head. “I’m sorry little guy, I didn’t know.” He turned his head away.

Rowlet hopped over to the pile they had created, his latest piece in his beak, as Lillie did the same and dumped a small pile onto it before brushing off her hands. “That should be enough. There’s gotta be enough in there to make a good nest.”

“Borb nest?”

Lillie looked up from her pile of achievement to find Moon, bending over it and examining one of the sticks in her hand. She jumped back a bit at the sudden appearance of her friend, “Ah, Moon! How long have you been here?”

Moon shrugged before picking up some more sticks and sorting them by length, width, and strength. Rowlet kooed as she went about her task, her having obviously caught onto what was happening, before joining in himself. Lillie tried to grab one, but each time she tried either Moon or Rowlet would pick up the one she was aiming for before she could reach. After two or so minutes of this, she eventually just gave up and sat on her haunches, watching as the two worked away at the pile.

_ Maybe I should just leave,  _ Lillie thought,  _ Moon’s got this all figured out. She came in with no idea what was happening and started doing better than I could ever wish to. _ A drop hit her knee as she got to her feet.  _ Oh great. Now I’m crying over it. Way to--  _ More water hit her, this time on her shoulder.  _ Wait a minute. _

Lillie looked up into the sky. Apparently it wasn’t just the trees blocking the view of the sun, but also some rain clouds forming over Melemele. “M-- Moon, Rowlet,” she called to the unaware two, still sorting sticks, “We need to get back into town, it’s going to rain.”

The two didn’t react to Lillie’s call, having gotten lost in appraising sticks, so she walked over to Moon and tapped her on the shoulder before pointing at the darkening clouds above. Moon reached out and pet the Rowlet before getting up and glancing around the area.

“Sorry Rowlet,” Lillie said at the now quite angry bird, “I don’t think we’re gonna be able to finish this today. Let’s move these somewhere dry and continue when the rain stops.”

“Koo!” Rowlet ran toward the girl, pecking at the air as he went.

“Gah!” Lillie leapt out of the way as the bird’s beak nearly grazed her leg. “I’m sorry! We have to find some shelter or else we’ll be soaked.”

Moon laughed as the Rowlet continued his pursuit, Lillie dodging and weaving as it attacked, her chuckles only stopping when an idea crossed her mind. She reached into her bag and, after rifling through some repels and berries, pulled out a Pokeball. After watching the escapades in front of her for another moment for fun, she pressed the button on the ball.

From the Pokeball came a blitz of light, landing in the small gap between Lillie and Rowlet, and from that light emerged a blue-and-white bird; a Wingull. The three stood confused for a moment, growing even more so when Moon started puffing out her cheeks and blowing air. However, one of them seemed to get it.

The Wingull turned to Rowlet and, somehow casually, opened its beak and unleashed a torrent of water on the bird. Within a second, Rowlet hopped out of the attack and jumped into the air, aiming to fall onto the other bird with its beak.

“So that explains how it got on the pole without flying,” Lillie muttered before turning to Moon. “When did you catch Wingull? Are you raising some more Pokemon for your team?”

Moon nodded before turning back to the fight. Wingull readjusted its aim into the air, only for Rowlet to open its left wing and unleash a barrage of leaves, the force of doing so propelling it further into the air and out of the water’s spray.

“He’s a fighter! Maybe you should add him to your team too.”

Moon shook her head and reached into her bag again and, after some more shuffling around in it, pulled out a large white ring with a ribbon wrapped it in a bow and gave it to Lillie. Lillie gingerly took the object from her friend and lightly turned it over, examining it. She’d seen it many times before during her travels with Moon, in fact Moon was currently wearing a similar object around her wrist as they spoke.

“A Z-Ring?” Lillie undid the bow, now ignoring the nearby battle and growing number of rain droplets falling upon her. ”You… You want me to take the Island Challenge?”

Moon nodded with a smile.

It was only natural, when Lillie thought of it, that the regional champion would want her friend to try and go on a similar adventure as she had gone through. Though, there was a small problem with it: she had already gone on this adventure before when Moon did her Island Challenge. Then, she thought some more and came to her final conclusion.

_ Confessing to her here is a wash now, thanks to Rowlet and the rain, but the Island Challenge is full of memories.  _ She gave a devious (as devious as she could manage, anyway) smile.  _ If I take this challenge and Moon comes along for even just a day, then I can find the perfect place to confess to her! _

“I’ll do it,” she nearly shouted, “And this time we can go around all the islands without having to worry about a nefarious scheme or something like it. This is going to be fun!”

As she made her declaration, Rowlet landed on the Wingull, knocking it out. Moon recalled Wingull into its Pokeball and gave Lillie another one, one that was currently empty. 

Lillie slowly took off her hat and cautiously approached Rowlet. “Hey, little guy,” she said as she placed her cap on the confused bird. The rain started to fall harder around them, though this went unnoticed by the two, only Moon retreating to a spot where would be dry that she had scoped out earlier. “I’m sorry we couldn’t rebuild your nest, but I think I can come up with a better replacement.” She held out the Pokeball to it. “I’m gonna be doing the Island Challenge and I need a partner to help get going. I can give you a home and take care of you, but I’ll also need you to fight--”

The second the word left Lillie’s mouth, Rowlet immediately pecked on the Pokeball’s button. The ball opened and enveloped Rowlet into a flash of light, which it immediately welcomed and disappeared into, letting Lillie’s hat fall to the ground. Lillie gingerly picked up the ball and her hat and returned to Moon, who was beaming at her friend.

“Huh,” said Lillie as she looked down at her new companion, “I guess he really wants to fight.” She looked up to Moon. “Should I be concerned about that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ended up being a lot longer than expected. I want to try and have Monday/Friday updates, but if this keeps up I might not be able to.


	4. A New Companion

“Hey little buddy,” Professor Kukui said, bending on a knee and looking down at an Eevee, “Don’t be afraid, we’re here to help you.”

The Eevee looked up at the Professor, a fearful look on her face, before backing away and into a soft wall of fur that was a Lycanroc, currently curled up on the floor and taking a nap. The nudge of the fellow dog woke it into a sleepy haze only for it to yawn, glance at the Eevee with glazed eyes, and settle back down.

Eevee glanced around the lab, looking for an escape route, only for its field of vision to be obscured by pure white. She felt a soft pressure on her head for a moment, it being released a few seconds later. Eevee looked up to find the glowing and graceful face of an Alolan Ninetails, his paw just above her head.

Ninetails moved to the side, allowing room for the Eevee to walk, before lying down and welcoming her to do so as well. Eevee quickly agreed, rushing to nuzzle into Ninetails’ gentle embrace.

“See,” said Kukui, ”We’re all friendly here. Calm down and let us help you.”

Eevee didn’t seem to get the message, as instead of nuzzling alongside Ninetails, she seemed to be more of trying to hide in its fur. Kukui rested his face on his hand and sighed; this had been going on for the past hour or so, since Hau had brought it in. It surprised him that Hau didn’t bring up the previous night’s incident, but he figured it was better the less he spoke of it.

Kukui stood up and walked away, leaving Eevee to hide behind Ninetails. “I just don’t get it, Pokemon are never scared of me. Maybe it’s an Eevee thing.” He grabbed his mug of coffee from the counter and looked out on the rain. “They’re rare, but are in most regions. They’re definitely in Kanto, Oak told me something about a previous associate having raised one.” He looked up at the empty loft above as he took a drink. “Maybe Lillie knows something about this.”

It was at this moment that the door to the lab was pushed open by a walking mop, formally known as Lillie. As she squeezed the rain water out of her hair, Moon was busy closing her umbrella before entering into the building. Kukui and the dogs just stared as Lillie started to become recognizable again. Once she had gotten as much of the water out of her hair and onto the floor as she could, she looked up.

“Oh, Professor,” she said, “I didn’t see you there.”

Moon entered into the lab behind her and waved at Kukui.

“Ah, Lillie, Moon, just the two people I wanted to see.” Lillie cringed at what she thought was about to happen. She knew Kukui saw himself as a father figure to her, but she really didn’t want to have to go through a relationship talk with him, especially after the mess of last night.

“Pr… Professor, I really don’t think this is necessary.” She started poking her fingers together and glanced to the ground. “I know I’ve never had first-hand experience with this or have been told directly about it, but I believe I’ve gleaned enough from reading books that ended up involving the topic in one way or another.”

Professor Kukui smiled. “Ah, observant as ever, Lillie. Now then, do you think you can help me with it?”

Lillie gasped, alongside Moon. “Professor! That is so inappropriate, why would you say such a thing?”

“What do you mean,” Kukui cocked his head to the side, “What’s inappropriate about helping a Pokemon in need?”

“A… A Pokemon in need?”

“Yes, Eevee here.” Kukui turned and gestured to the Eevee, half buried inside of Ninetails’ fur. “What did you think I was talking about?”

“Uh, nevermind.” 

Lillie approached the two dog Pokemon, cautiously stepping over the Lycanroc as she went, before getting on her knees in front of them. Moon followed suit, though staying a step or two behind and letting Lillie take the lead.

“I was thinking that you may have seen an Eevee during your time in Kanto,” Kukui said, bending down next to Moon, “I was wondering if this was common behavior for their species; I gotta say, I haven’t actually encountered one before.”

Lillie took a step further, only for Eevee to dig further into the Ninetails’ fur.

“I-- I have no idea why she’s so scared.” Lillie turned back to the others. “I’ve met a few Eevees, but they were all playful and happy to meet new people.” She walked back to Kukui, ignoring Moon as she slowly approached the dog. “Perhaps we should consult some books, or maybe someone who’s raised one. Actually, maybe we can pull out a Pokedex and check what it has to say.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. “I’m actually in need of one myself.”

“Ohoho,” Kukui laughed as he turned around. Lillie tried to follow his gaze, but ended up hopping back in surprise as he whipped back to her and extended his hand. “Four islands!”

“I know the speech!” She stomped her foot on the ground and shook her hands at her sides.

Kukui laughed again. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I just like to give it is all.” He walked over to a desk and pulled open one of its drawers, revealing a plethora of Pokedexes. “Nice idea with the Pokedex though; let me get you one and we can use it to--”

“Deaf,” muttered Moon, currently rubbing the Eevee’s stomach.

Lillie and Kukui turned to look at the two. Somehow, Moon had lured Eevee out of its hiding place and onto its back. Moon was currently petting the Eevee like mad, Eevee having been lost in joy of her affectionate attention.

“Well, that’s one answer, I suppose,” said Kukui, “So she’s deaf and us trying to talk to her was scaring her.” He and Lillie walked up to Moon, who held Eevee in her arms as Eevee flinched from the Professor’s approach. Lillie reached out a hand and pet its head, scratching behind its ear; it seemed to have calmed down at least.

“How odd,” Lillie muttered as she let Kukui take over petting Eevee, “Meeting two disabled Pokemon in one day.”

“Two?” Kukui forgot about the Pokemon in Moon’s arms and focused in on Lillie.

Lillie once again pulled out the Pokeball from her pocket. “I caught a Rowlet with a broken wing earlier. Or, well, rather, it joined me because it wanted to fight.”

“Hmmm.” The Professor took the Pokeball from Lillie’s hand and examined it, as if examining the Pokemon inside. “Strange indeed.” Without any hesitation, he pressed the button on the ball and unleashed a stream of light, containing a leafy orb of a bird.

The bird turned its head around and examined its surroundings before seeing Lillie and hopping into her arms. “He’s friendly when he’s calm but he’s a really good fighter! He took down Moon’s Wingull earlier.”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps it’s that--” His thoughts were interrupted by a harsh peck to the face. Rowlet had leaped out of Lillie’s arms and began to attack Kukui. It hopped into the air, once again unleashing a flurry of leaves upon the Professor. Moon stuck Eevee behind her as Lillie dove to the floor to pick up the Rowlet’s Pokeball. With a quick aim and the press of a button, a light enveloped and retreated Rowlet.

Lillie stood, holding a violently shaking ball containing an angry bird who wanted to escape.

“Wh-- What just happened?”

Moon walked over, followed by Eevee, and took the Pokeball from Lillie’s grasp. After a few more seconds of shaking, the Pokeball burst open and Rowlet sprung free. However, Rowlet was immediately picked up and brought into the restricting-but-gentle embrace of the regional champion. In a few seconds, he had calmed down seemingly completely.

“No, really,” Lillie said again, “What just happened.” She turned to Kukui, now on the ground and covered in leaves and claw marks. “Professor, I’m so sorry!”

Kukui rubbed his head and laughed. “Aha; there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing worse than what I usually end up with.” He got on his feet and approached the Rowlet, sticking a finger out toward it only for it to be bitten. “Now this is doubly strange. Not just two disabled Pokemon, but two disabled Pokemon that are either afraid or very angry.” He pulled his finger away from Rowlet’s grasp. “Perhaps there’s a connection.”

“I can’t possibly imagine what it could be.”

Moon walked over to Lillie and placed Rowlet in her arms, before picking up Eevee in her own. “She reminds me of you,” she smiled.

“Oh, uh, I guess so.” Lillie did her best to hide her disappointment with a smile, though it was quick to falter.

Did she mean cheering up when Moon was around or being completely useless when she wasn’t? Actually, they meant the same thing, didn’t they? The first would always be true, and, if the Rowlet incident earlier and helping Eevee now were anything to go by, the second hadn’t changed in the time she’d been gone.

Lillie sighed. Maybe she’d just be like this forever; she wasn’t of much use in trying to help her mother in Kanto either, the doctor’s had no use for her and she’d ended up doing the one thing she’d found herself good at: assisting the regional professor. Maybe this was her purpose in life, assisting those naturally born to take the lead. The few times she’d taken initiative had ended that way, so why not get used to it?

“Sorry,” Moon muttered, snapping Lillie out of her thoughts.

Moon looked worried, biting her lip and holding Eevee tightly to her chest. Her eyes darted back and forth between the ground and Lillie.

_ Wait,  _ Lillie thought,  _ Is Moon nervous? Oh Arceus, what was showing on my face? Di- Did she get something from what I said? How is- _

“Sorry,” Moon repeated, having settled on looking at the ground. Similarly, Lillie looked away, trying her best to not look at her friend. All this earned the two were confusion from the Pokemon they held and a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Well,” Kukui said, awkwardly trying to break the quiet, “Eevee seems to have taken a liking to you, Miss Champion.” He walked back to his desk and picked up a spare Pokeball. “I think she’d be better going with you than staying with me. If you’d have her, of course.”

As Kukui neared Moon, Eevee began to growl, apparently having gained confidence with the Champion. Moon reached out and took the ball, before backing away so the furry creature could calm down. A few seconds later, she unceremoniously held the ball to Eevee, who booped its button with her nose. It let itself be swallowed by the light and entered without resistance,

Moon placed the Pokeball in her bag and then pulled out a different one before walking back to Kukui and placing it in his hands.

“This is your Wingull, yeah?” The Professor tossed the Pokeball in the air and caught it. “You calling this a trade then?”

Moon nodded.

“Well then,” he placed his new companion on the counter, “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Professor Kukui laughed. Meanwhile Lillie watched the interaction, unneeded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to keep up with Monday and Friday updates, I already failed on that. How about Monday's instead? Though, I might not be able to get that either since I'm busy with my summer job and other projects.
> 
> Next chapter will be mostly fluff.


	5. Discount

As Lillie walked into Hau’oli City’s resident malasada shop, a small radio exposited, “... Locals believe these disappearances to be connected to the recent resurgence of Team Skull. Updates will be reported as they are discovered.” However, the blonde was too focused on a more pressing concern to hear it.

“Is hair really a suitable nesting material?” Lillie held her hands above her head, trying to pick a Rowlet out of her blonde hair. Following closely behind her was Moon, currently reading the Pokedex entry on the species. Lillie turned to her companion but only received a shake of the head in response. “So he just wants to dig his claws into my skull?” Moon smiled and nodded.

Since the incident at the lab a few hours beforehand, Rowlet refused to return to his pokeball, instead insisting Lillie carry him around in her arms and later in her hair, having jumped up there when she tried to set him down. He had grown quite fond of its position, much to the position’s dismay.

“I miss my hat,” she continued, walking to the counter, “Everything was fine until my hat got dirty and then it started raining and there wasn’t enough room under your umbrella...” 

Moon shook her head as if to say “There was.” Lillie knew this, but stayed out from under it anyway because close and physical contact with her crush made her antsy and nervous and maybe just a bit screaming internally, so she’d rather avoid it.

Also, arguing with Lillie that ‘screaming internally’ isn’t an emotion would be fruitless, as it had become her default one for the past two years.

“... And my hair got all messy so I had to shower again. Then, when we left it at the lab to wash it, I immediately fell off the porch and my hair landed in mud so we had to go back so I could wash it again, and now this.” Lillie sighed. “I’m beginning to think this isn’t my luckiest day.”

“Welcome to our shop,” the cashier behind the counter cheered, “Do I assume a double malasada couple discount?”

Lillie reformed a waterless spit-take as she tripped over herself and began to fall forward; however, she’d learned from her mistake the previous night and put a foot ahead of her to balance. Unfortunately, this only threw her fall the opposite way, unhelped by the Rowlet on her head flapping about to try to stay on. Her quick descent to the ground was, thankfully, halted by Moon, who had managed to grab onto her flailing arms.

Moon turned to the cashier and nodded, perhaps a bit too vigorously. Lillie stared in shock up at her crush, only to be greeted by the girl’s face and a finger between her lips. 

_ Oh,  _ Lillie groaned inwardly,  _ She’s just being cheap. _ Releasing the finger from her lips, Moon walked over to and stood in front of the counter to pay for their order.  _ Wait, if she’s over there, then what’s holding me up? _ Without a second’s passing, she fell on her back, Rowlet finally losing his balance as well and falling to the floor. “Ow.”

Lillie got back to her feet as Moon was handed the treats. Moon waved her forward as she walked to the benches in the dining area of the restaurant; Lillie quickly followed along, slowing down a bit as Rowlet jumped back onto her head. Moon slipped into a booth by the window and handed Lillie a malasada as she sat opposite.

Lillie slumped her free head onto her hand and looked out the window. “Why are we here again? Shouldn’t we be getting to work on the island challenge?” She held her treat in front of her to eat and started to think.

_ This doesn’t help my plan at all! I mean, we’ve been in a malasada shop before, but not this one. This holds no emotional or memorial value to us. What can even be gained from coming here aside from a whole bunch of wasted time?  _ She stared grumpily at her malasada as Moon happily chewed hers behind it.  _ At least this should taste good if the flavor hasn’t changed, and Moon is looking like she’s having fun. She never made that sort of face when having it before, and I don’t think I’ve seen a Pokemon enjoying it as much as Rowlet is right-- Wait. _

Rowlet was pecking away at the malasada in Lillie’s free hand. “Gah - Hey!” She yanked the snack out of the bird’s reach and frowned at him only receiving a peck to the face in return. As Moon silently chuckled, Lillie tried to pick the bird up with her free hand. “Come on, little guy, get back on my--” She stopped in place, slowly putting her snack on the table, before banging her head down onto it. “Why am I now encouraging him to stay on my head?”

A moment after the words left her mouth, she felt a rapid fire of small taps to the back of her head. She opened her eyes and turned to look up to find Rowlet pecking on her skull; making her head more comfortable for him, if she had to guess. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate of the dumpster fire today would be, hoping time would somehow skip itself to the next morning.

It was then that the tapping stopped, for a moment, before being continued, though a bit lighter and softer. Lillie opened her eyes to be greeted by a smiling Moon, a face smeared with malasada, petting her. Moon’s smile was infection, and soon Lillie found herself copying it.

She didn’t know why Moon was petting her, maybe she reminded her of her Eevee like she said, but it still felt good. As Rowlet bit away at the discarded malasada, Lillie thought that today might not end as bad as she thought it would.


	6. Follow That Cutiefly!

Lillie stood in place in front of the gray stone pedestal, the only thing between her and it being the tracks of the Totem Raticate that had fled the scene only seconds before. Behind her was Moon, currently with her fists pumped in the air, like she were holding pom-poms; it would make sense if she were actually wearing some, as she’d become Lillie’s silent cheerleader during the battle.

The blonde blinked, still somewhat in shock. “I did it?” The ruffed-up Rowlet she held in her arms looked up at her and gave her a mean look. It went unnoticed by Lillie, but she still looked down at the creature and continued, “We did it?”

She finally began to walk, scooping the bird into one of her hands as she approached the pedestal. Moon hopped forward excitedly, eyes locked on her outreaching left hand. The hand eventually found a home on the pedestal, resting as Lillie examined it.

On the pedestal were two things: a gray crystal-like object that blended into the stand it had been embedded in, and a yellow-and-white bug sitting atop it and trying to pull it out.

Lillie smiled at the thing and petted it, much to the bug’s apparent annoyance. “Hey, you’re a Cutiefly, right?” It ignored her and kept at its task. “What’re you doing in here?”

Moon walked over to examine the struggling Pokemon, pressing her finger against the crystal and nudging it up a bit. The Cutiefly repositioned itself to the end of the crystal that was now in the air and began to pull, rapidly fluttering its wings as it pried the object from the pedestal’s grip. Moon clapped her hands as Cutiefly picked it up fully from the pedestal, turned around, and flew out of the cavern with it.

A second passed as the two smiled at the insect’s drive, only for the moment to be ruined by a realization by Lillie.

“Uhhh, don’t I need that?”

Moon blinked, grabbed Lillie’s hand, pulled her around the pedestal and toward the cave’s exit before pointing out of it. “Follow,” she said, a bit louder and more excited than her usual mutterings, before letting go of her grip and rushing out the cavern herself. Lillie stood in place for a second, processing what had just happened, before hugging Rowlet to her chest and running ahead to catch up.

While the cavern wasn’t dark, the intensity of the light outside temporarily blinded Lillie; and this, coupled with the fact that Lillie was both running and a natural ditz, led to her tripping on a tree root that had protruded out of the ground. She closed her eyes and quickly turned her falling self around as she hugged Rowlet closer to protect him, however she didn’t hit the hard ground like she expected to. Instead, she fell into two small and soft unknown embraces that held onto her shoulders. Lillie opened her eyes to see the upside-down smile of Moon looking down at her, their eyes locked and only an inch or so apart.

Lillie blushed, fumbling her grip on her Pokemon, as Moon pushed her back to her feet. Moon walked back to her front, putting an arm around the girl’s back. Lillie internally thanked Moon for making sure she was standing when she let go this time, but externally only could manage, “T-- Th-- Than--- Tha--” before she was ushered forward. Moon pointed at the Cutiefly, zipping around a rocky corner, with her free hand and pushed Lillie ahead of her. “R- Right!”

Lillie reaffirmed her grip on Rowlet and walked forward, with a firm resolve and determined goal, right into another obstacle to trip over. She tried to correct herself, hopping on one foot for a step or two, before falling back onto bum, now facing moon Moon. She blinked twice, looked down to see that Rowlet was still fine and in her arms, then looked back at what had exactly cause the fall to begin with.

In front of her, staring intensely at where the Cutiefly had fled, was a small brown dog. Lillie recognized that it was a Rockruff, the same type of Pokemon that Professor Kukui had raised when she worked as his assistant. However, there was a major difference between the two: the lack of a front-right leg.

“Another?” The sole word was the only thing to be said before the Rockruff took off past the curve and into a chase unseen. Lillie hopped to her feet, placing Rowlet on her shoulder so he could easily hop off in case she tripped over anything else, and started forward, closely followed by Moon.

Ahead of them was a continuation of the dirt path they had been on, overlooking the sea. And, a bit further down the path, was a Rockruff rushing (as fast it could with three legs) to a tree that a Cutiefly holding a Z-Crystal was resting on. Lillie and Moon raced to catch up with it, but it had already hit the tree head-first by the time they reached it.

Lillie put her hands on her knees and panted as they reached their destination, meanwhile Moon watched as Rockruff continued to headbutt the tree, uncaring for how hard it was. As far as Rockruff was concerned, he was harder. And, frankly, Rockruff was, as the tree quickly began to rock back and forth. Unfortunately, the strength it took to continuously tackle the tree was a bit too much and he ran out of stamina, collapsing on his side and panting.

Lillie shifted her eyes back and forth around her. No trainer was looking their way and Moon seemed to be distracted by watching the Cutiefly. As quiet as she could, she reached into her bag, accidentally letting Rowlet slide and fall into it, and pulled out a Pokeball. She bent down and touched the button to Rockruff’s side, letting him be grabbed and pulled in by a ray of light as she could only think, _Please don’t be considered cheap. Please don’t be considered cheap._

“Cheap,” Moon’s monotone voice stated, still looking at the Cutiefly.

Lillie stood up quickly, guiltily putting her hands behind her back and forcing a smile. “I-- I just want to take him to Professor Kukui.” Moon furrowed her eyebrows as Lillie awkwardly focused on the Cutiefly once more. “Now how are we gonna get him down?” She rubbed a hand on her chin until finally she had an idea. She turned to her bag once more, where Rowlet had now made a section of it comfortable for himself, and ordered, “Rowlet, use Peck!”

Rowlet didn’t need to be told twice, or even once, as he had already leaped out of the bag when Lillie had uttered its name. Into the air it jumped, aiming for the Cutiefly and already only about a foot away. Unfortunately, when they came face-to-face, the Cutiefly simply flapped its wings a bit, letting loose Fairy Wind, and Rowlet was knocked out. As he fell back to the Alolan soil, Lillie jumped forward and reached out her hands to catch him.

She turned to Moon and scratched the back of her neck. “I guess I never healed him after fighting Raticate.” She tried to play it off with a chuckle, but she still felt guilty about it. Instead of focusing on that, however, she returned to her mission to get the Z-Crystal back.

This mission had already been deemed a failure as, when she turned back, both the Cutiefly and Z-Crystal were gone. Lillie blinked in confusion before hurrying around the tree, looking for signs of it flying off in some direction. This yielded no results except for a growing pang of nausea. “Moon,” Lillie gagged out, worn down and clinging to the tree for support, “Did you see where it went?”

Moon, who hadn’t let her eyes off the Pokemon, simply replied, “It poofed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no update last week. I did have something going, but it turned out it would have to be two chapters ahead.
> 
> Also, thank you all for your comments. I'm not the best at replying because I don't know what to say, but they're extremely appreciated.
> 
> Next chapter features Gladion.


	7. Catching Up

Lillie sat on a bench in the Pokemon Center just outside Verdant Cavern. Her head rested on her hand, trying to keep her propped up as she endured the nausea. It had been going on for the past ten or so minutes, however long it had taken her and Moon to return here and for Moon to find Illma, the trial captain.

“I see,” Illma said to Moon, a few feet away from Lillie, “So it was a Cutiefly?” Moon nodded. “And it ‘poofed’?”

Moon clenched her hands together in front of her and then opened them while saying, “Poof.”

For the life of her, Lillie couldn’t understand what Moon had meant when she said the Z-Crystal theft had “poofed” away. Did she mean it used some move previously undocumented? Was it just a weird way of saying it flew away quickly? Did it literally poof out of existence? Did she somehow inhale it without her noticing and that’s what’s causing the nausea?

Knowing her own luck, that was more likely than not.

“I have to admit,” Illma continued, “This isn’t the first instance of Z-Crystals disappearing, but it is the first time we’ve seen someone take it.” He put a hand on his chin and closed his eyes. “Until now, though, we’ve thought it had to do with Team Skull’s resurgence. I never would’ve guessed a wild Pokemon was involved.” Moon frowned a bit as he opened his eyes and reached into his pocket. “Well, anyways, we already have a contingency plan in place.

“We’ve told trainers to not go using any Z-Moves for the time being and, as for proving your friend has cleared a trial...” He took out a grey plastic cube, the side facing toward Moon showing Illma’s signature. “We’re replacing Z-Crystals with these for now. Once we recover them, she can come back to the trial locations and trade them out.” He tossed the cube to Moon  before turning to head out the door. “Well, I’ve got to go. Have to make sure no one gets hurt.”

As Illma left the building, Moon walked to Lillie, hand outreached and holding the cube. Lillie took her hand off her forehead and accepted it, drawing in a long breath as she did.

Moon sat down next to her friend. “Better?”

“A bit,” she glanced down, “But not really feeling my best still. I’ve had nausea but never experienced it this badly before and I don’t get it.” Suddenly she stood and picked her bag from the ground. “We should get going though, it’s almost night and usually walking helps me feel better.”

Moon hopped to her feet, a smile on her face, and pumped a fist into the air. “Go! Go! Go!” A small beeping came from the Pokedex on her belt, the dex lighting up and displaying the words ‘Challenger Approaching!’ on it. Her smile dropped. “No! No! No!” She hurriedly picked the dex from her belt and stared gravely at it before turning to Lillie.

Lillie smiled and waved at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m already feeling good enough to walk, and I can just call Hau or the Professor if something happens.” Moon still frowned, but Lillie managed to keep up her smile. “I’ll just go as far as I can and we’ll pick up from there tomorrow.”

The two walked to the entrance, Lillie still holding her smile and Moon still looking to the ground nervously. Finally, with a final look to Lillie that could only mean “I’m sorry,” she clicked the button on her ride pager and a Charizard swooped down from the sky.

“Be safe,” Moon said as she hopped on the orange dragon. And then she was gone.

Lillie dropped her facade, stared at the darkening sky, and blushed.

* * *

 

Lillie once again looked to the starry sky above and wondered how long it would take for Moon to return. However, her view was quickly cut off by some overhanging rocks, so she looked ahead and found a meadow filled to the brim with yellow flowers.

 _This seems like a good enough time to stop and wait for Moon_.

The path so far had been mostly barren, aside from a few wild Pokemon encounters and trainers wandering around, all of whom her team had beaten, with some trouble. This time she remembered to heal and play with both of her Pokemon after each battle they participated in. Rowlet was his usual fight-ready self, but that usually led to him taking more damage by recoil than he needed to, and Rockruff was surprisingly fast, but his accuracy was lower than it should be due to his missing leg.

For now though, they were both resting in her bag and in a Pokeball respectively.

Lillie walked over to a tree on the outskirts of the meadow, sat down and put her back to it. Her nausea had been completely cleared away, though she still didn’t know what had made it occur in the first place. She looked out onto the yellow flowers, illuminated by the stars above and and a light in the field surrounding a moving net.

What.

Lillie stood back up and took a closer look at the field. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make out exactly who was carrying it around, so she decided to go in herself. She trudged down the small hill that led into the meadow and carefully stepped along the flowers, trying to not trip over any roots.

It occurred to her that it was only now, when she was separated from Moon, that she was actually able to show her fine motor skills weren’t in disrepair. Actually, she could have caught a lucky break, Moon could be watching her now, either from behind or above and murmuring to herself “Good walk.”

It was in the middle of realizing how pathetic fantasizing about your crush complimenting your ability to walk without falling was that Lillie’s thoughts were interrupted by a net _swish_ ing down on her head and the shout of “Gotcha!”

Lillie froze in place, startled, as the flowers in front of her rustled. As the flowers were peeled back, a blond haired boy in a black jacket and holding a lantern in his spare hand appeared, a disappointed expression growing on his face.

“Lillie,” Gladion deadpanned, “What are you doing in my net?”

He lifted the net from her head and held it over his shoulder, waiting for Lillie’s reply. Unfortunately, his question seemed to go unheard, as, once Lillie recovered from her shock and confusion, she responded with another question. “Gladion? I thought you’d be at Aether Paradise. What are you doing here?

He looked to his side. “Pokemon hunting.”

“Out here? At night?”

“Yes.”

Lillie blinked.

She waited for a fuller explanation.

She kept a smile on her face, awkwardly looking around as she waited for him to continue.

She blinked again.

“Do you want to go sit down?”

She stood silently, still waiting for the explanation.

Gladion sighed and pointed her back to the meadow’s entrance, giving her a pat on the back (well, more of a light shove) as he took off for the indicated position himself. “Come on, we didn’t have a chance to catch up last night. Now’s as good a time as any.”

Lillie followed, and they were soon enough at the tree she had sat for a moment before.

“So,” Gladion said, awkwardly, “What was Kanto like?”

“Oh. Big, I guess. Not as big as Alola, but it felt like it without it being divided into islands.” She looked once more to the stars. “Bright too, lots of light at night so you can’t see most of the stars you can here. I missed them.”

“Judging by your performance the other night, they weren’t the only celestial object you missed.”

Lillie blushed and began to stutter out, “D- Don’t just go saying that! W- What if she’s nearby and heard you?!” Gladion chuckled. “And what about you? You were friendlier with Hau last night than I’d ever seen you with anybody!”

Gladion blushed and looked away. Then, after a moment, he said, “You and I reacted to mother’s… illness in different ways. You decided to face the problem head-on and help her get better, while I stayed behind and tried to fill her shoes. You kept moving forward like you always do, while I tried to do my best in a position I had no right being in.

“It was hard. The Professor and Wicke did their best to help me, but it was still too stressful. I had to vent to someone and I never wanted to bother you while you already had enough on your plate. Then there was Moon, and talking to her can feel like talking to a brick wall.” He paused and turned to his sister. “Sorry, no offense. You know what I’m saying, though.”

Lillie sighed. “Yeah. Trust me, I know what it feels like.”

“So, anyway, I ended up talking to Hau a lot because of this. He’s surprisingly caring once you look past all his quirks. Eventually, we just started talking because we were actual friends, not acquaintances or rant sponges, then we went on from there.”

Lillie pouted. “Then how come neither of you told me in your letters?”

“Hau probably thought I’d do it, and I thought it would be too hard to explain so I never ended up writing it.” He paused then laughed. “Well, I was wrong about that, at least.”

For a moment, there was silence, only interrupted by some background cries of Pokemon. It had been awhile since the two had a chance to just sit down and talk; it had been about three years since the last time, if Lillie had remembered correctly. But, still, it had also felt just as long since they’d been able to enjoy a moment of relaxation.

“So,” Gladion eventually said, “What about you and Moon? How’d that turn out?”

“Oh, well,” Lillie looked away guiltily, “I might have not told her yet.”

“Wait. After you just blurting out a half-done speech-”

“I’d been working on that for weeks!”

“And doing it in front of all of us, you suddenly lost the nerve to ask her out?”

“W- Well… It’s hard, okay? I’m not the hero who saved Alola, I’m not the President of Aether Foundation, and I’m not even a Kahuna’s granddaughter. I’m just Lillie, and I don’t think I could handle much more than that.” She looked down at the ground for a moment. “I just don’t think I’m worthy to someone like her.”

Gladion paused for a moment, turning his brain over for the right words. “That’s wrong. She spent about two months travelling the region with you just because you were nice and in need of help. I don’t think she cares about how much someone is ‘worth’, in terms of how much power they hold.” He put his hands behind his head and looked up to the sky. “Besides, you’re selling yourself short. You put yourself through more hell than you need to, just trying to do the right thing. I’m sure everything will be fine if you just ask her out, no need for a speech or anything like that.”

Lillie smiled. “Wow, Hau most have really done a number on you.”

“Oh, be quiet.” He looked around, desperate for a change in topic. Luckily, he found one next to Lillie. “Hey, is that your old bag? What happened to that backpack?”

“Oh. Well, it’s kinda stupid, but that had a lot of little pockets and I kept forgetting where I put things.” She scratched the back of her neck. “Besides, I can store more stuff in here and have it be more accessible than having to take the backpack off entirely. I just like it more.”

She pat the bag for emphasis. Unfortunately, this seemed to awake its inhabitant, as the bag began to shake and its flap flew open. A circular shadow jumped into the air, Gladion falling onto his back from surprise, and Lillie, who had already gotten used to this, put her arms over her head to brace for the attack.

However, the attack never came.

Instead, Lillie felt a movement above her head and a distinct _pat_ sound. She didn’t have to look up to guess what happened. “Hey Moon,” she said. She always had a way of getting places on time.

Moon offered the hand not holding the agitated bird to pull Lillie up from her sitting position, either not knowing Gladion was there or just choosing to ignore him. Lillie quickly did the same for her brother, though.

Gladion sighed, “Well, it was nice talking again. But I guess it’s time to get back to work. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“Wait, hang on. I think we were gonna go to dinner somewhere in the city,” Lillie said as she picked up her bag, “Do you want to come?”

“Nah,” he turned back around and walked toward the meadow, “I want to catch this thing as soon as possible.”

“What are you hunting anyway?”

Gladion disappeared into the flowers, leaving only one word behind. “Cutieflys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like they really needed a moment to actually just talk, after barely seeing each other before, during, and after the events of S&M. Also, thanks to KZO in the comments for pointing out that the Z-Crystals are also proof of trial completion, something I'd totally forgotten about and was necessary. We also now have an explanation for why Lillie has her bag again, which is totally not me forgetting she had a backpack.
> 
> We've hit 500 hits! I'm pretty sure that's more hits than any of my original works combined. Thank you all so much!
> 
> There might be a chapter on Friday, because I accidentally got a start on that the other week, as mentioned in last chapter's notes.
> 
> Next chapter features Hau.


	8. Ghost Stories

Lillie stood at the mouth of Seaward Cavern, the first non-trial cave to stand in the way between her and her goal of reaching the Champion of Alola, who was coincidentally standing beside her and looking at the slowly greying skies. The blonde checked over her bag, doing one last rundown of her supplies.

“Repels, potions, repels, Rowlet, repels...” she murmured to herself before perking up and turning to her companion, “I hear the Pokemon in caves are hostile, so I made sure to grab some more repels at the Pokemon Center.”

“You know,” said a shadow, leaning against the side of the cave, doing its best to do a deep voice despite the fact it was obviously Hau, “A real trainer goes through every cave without a repel, even in their bag.” He grinned evilly as he stepped out of the shadows and toward the two before hanging his hands behind his head and laughing. “Just kidding; those things can be pretty annoying.”

Moon waved at the boy as Lillie asked the obvious question. “Hau! What are you doing here?”

“Gladion told me you were starting the Island Challenge the other night. I just wanted to see how that was coming along, so I decided to wait here.” He scratched the back of his head. “Ya caught me in the middle of practicing my Gladion impression.”

Hau grabbed his wrist and stared intensely at his open palm. Moon chuckled. A drop of water landed on Lillie’s head.

“Moon, Hau, we should probably head in.” Lillie turned from the two and began to walk into a Zubat. 

At first, she didn’t realize what she’d run into, only knowing her face had suddenly collided with something and that something was screeching and clawing at her while also doing her the favor of obscuring her vision. She only truly knew what was after Rowlet had jumped out of her bag and pecked at the creature, causing it to faint.

After being released from the creature’s grasp, she fell back on the ground, gasping for air. A minute or so of that later, she looked in front of her, at Moon leaning down to make sure she was okay, at Hau laughing to himself, at the Zubat who fell limply to the ground, and at the very pleased Rowlet.

Lillie blinked and crossed her legs, scooching forward toward the downed bat, and reached into her bag. She procured a potion and sprayed the creature over. Even if it wasn’t enough to awake it, it was worth it to make sure it was okay when it awoke of its own means. She looked up to Moon, who was smiling and extended an arm, and accepted her offer, bringing her back to her feet.

She stood and smiled at Moon as Moon did the same back at her, the small moment being interrupted by a Zubat flying between them. And then another. And another.

The two looked toward the cave to find a torrent of Pokemon, mainly Zubats, flooding out.

“Huh, that’s new,” Hau said, before stepping forward. “Let’s go!”

“Uh, couldn’t it be dangerous?” Lillie picked up Rowlet and placed him on her shoulder, unaware of Moon doing her best to mimic her with the still knocked-out Zubat. “Surely, we don’t want to encounter whatever caused those Pokemon to flee, right?”

“Eh, Gramps has been training me to be the next Kahuna and Kahunas are supposed to look after Pokemon like this. Besides, Gladion’s been wanting me to look for ‘unusual Pokemon habits’ and stuff like that.” He reached the mouth of the cave as rain started to truly fall. “Now come on!” He ran ahead into the cave.

Lillie stood in a small shock, before taking a hestative step forward. “It’s starting to come down, we don’t have much of a choice.” Moon nodded and followed, cementing Lillie’s direction into the cave as the rain grew harsher.

* * *

 

Rowlet remained on Lillie’s shoulder, holding a flashlight to help, while the Zubat on Moon’s seemed to still be resting. By their feet were their respective dog Pokemon, who had quickly struck up a friendship. Lillie and Moon quietly examined the cave, looking for Hau, who was nowhere to be seen until he shouted “Boo!” from about five feet behind the two.

“Gah!” Lillie hopped forward, managing to land on her feet, turn back around, and gave an accusatory point without missing a beat. “Hau, you shouldn’t do that!”

Hau laughed and nudged himself closer to Lillie before whispering, “That was part of a plan. Just leave everything to me and Moon will be all over you in no time. Trust me, it worked on Gladion.” He jumped back and gave two thumbs up before walking ahead into the cave, waving them to follow. A bit of despair shadowed over Lillie’s face as she and Moon followed.

“So,” Hau started, “According to Gramps, tourists keep wandering into these caves and seeing weird things that locals never see. Like, one time, some people were passing through and saw ten or so rocks just kind of floating in the air.”

Lillie let out a sigh.  _ So he’s trying to scare us? At least it’s not something that might make Moon realize what’s going on. _

“It’s weird they only go after tourists though. Lillie, stay close to Moon, you’ve been gone so long whatever’s causing these things might mistake you for a tourist. But I don’t think they’d be willing to go up against the  _ champion _ , of all people.”

Lillie groaned. “Is that all?” 

It was an extremely underwhelming attempt at scaring them, at least Lillie thought so. Still, she felt a small bump on her right and found that Moon had sidled up against her, giggling a bit. She bit her lip, trying to contain her blush as Hau, not looking back, simply answered, “Yeah, pretty much.”

The pace kept for a few moments, Moon pressed up to Lillie, their Pokemon mirroring each other. The Zubat had awoken, but seemed to be staying on Moon’s shoulder for the ride. Hau kept leading the way, glancing around the cave for any signs of the cause of the fleeing Pokemon. Still, the Pokemon with the girls remained the only ones seen in the cavern.

“So,” Hau started again, “A Rowlet with a broken wing and a Rockruff missing a leg. Interesting choices for a first team.”

“Well, I just came across them and they ended up coming along.” Lillie reached down a bit to pet her Rockruff. “It turns out Eevee is also deaf.”

“Aw, and how’d you come across her?”

Lillie stopped in place for a moment, Moon doing the same and cocking her head while staring at Hau. “Uh, you dropped her off at Professor Kukui’s lab the other day. At least, that’s what he told us.”

Hau turned around and scratched his head. “Wha-? I was with with Gladion most of yesterday and then I was training with Gramps. I haven’t seen Kukui since we saw you on the dock, and I sure as heck didn’t have an Eevee the--”

He was cut off by the echo of “Ow,” coming from deeper within the cavern. Quickly, he turned back around and tried to peer into the darkness.

“I-I’m gonna go ahead and check that out. Someone might be hurt.” He took off down into the cavern, leaving Lillie and Moon alone.

A moment passed, the two still standing glued together, before Lillie looked to her friend and, once again said, “We should probably go after him, shouldn’t we?” Moon nodded and the two went deeper into the darkness.

* * *

 

The darkness continued. She hadn’t been in many caves before, but Lillie had to guess one going this far down was unusual; in fact, she couldn’t believe a cave this long was on Alola. Moon kept close to Lillie, insisting on walking just ahead of her with both Zubat and her Eevee on guard. Rowlet and Rockruff seemed to be doing the same.

After a while of silence, Lillie hesitatively finally asked, “Where… are we?”

Moon stayed silent, surveying the two’s surroundings. Still, Lillie knew the answer; if Moon had known what was happening, she’d have said something, however short. Something like “Cave,” or “Tunnel.” 

But all she did was remain silent.

* * *

 

The silence continued. The only noise in the cave were the footsteps of the two girls and their “Puppymon,” as Lillie would think Moon would call them. They had been going for so long, it had felt. Maybe they’d been walking in circles in the dark, unable to find either Hau or an exit. 

It felt like they’d been in there for hours.

Maybe it had been a day.

Maybe it had been longer.

* * *

 

Moon decked Hau in the face. Lillie wasn’t exactly sure why and when it happened. Just, suddenly, she was snapped out of a timeless lull by a shout of “Boo!” from behind, followed by Moon swiftly turning around and putting a fist in the suddenly appearing boy’s face.

Hau fell back on the stone ground as Lillie spun back around. “Ow,” he muttered, “What was that for? I was just joking around.” He rubbed his face and stood back up. “Dang, I’m gonna need an ice pack for this or something.”

Moon glared at him as Lillie pouted. “Just a joke? You’ve been gone for hours! We’ve been wandering around this cave for who knows how long and now you’re pulling the same prank you did earlier!”

Hau held a hand to his forehead. “Okay, either I hit my head really hard, or you just said we’ve been here for hours. We just got here, the entrance is back,” he turned around and pointed into the darkness, “There...” He blinked and walked to where he was pointing. “Hello? Entrance? Hello?” He turned to the two. “Okay, this is weird.”

“What’s weird is you thinking you’d get away with trying to scare us again after earlier. It didn’t work last time and it isn’t going to work now!”

“Last time? Did I do that before Moon became Champion or something? Last time I could before now was then, and that’s too long ago for me to remember.”

“No! When we got into the cave.Then you tried telling us a ghost story because you thought it would help me and--” She stopped herself in her tracks, “Well, you know why.”

“Okay, this is officially creepy. Like, that was the plan, but I sure as heck didn’t do it yet.” He held up the hand not on his forehead. “Trainers’ honor.”

Lillie side-eyed Moon, silently asking, “Is that a thing?” Moon nodded.

“Ow,” a voice in the distance echoed.

Hau turned to the direction of the voice and tried to peer through the darkness. “I-I’m gonna go ahead and check that out. Someone might be hurt.” He took off down into the cavern, leaving Lillie and Moon alone.

A moment passed, the two still standing glued together, before Lillie looked to her friend and, once again said, “We should probably go after him, shouldn’t we?” Moon nodded and the two went deeper into the darkness.

The two followed closely, doing their best to stay right behind Hau, but he was too fast. And, soon enough, the two were once again alone. However, the sound in the distance continued.

“Dangit, I hope this thing isn’t broken.”

Rowlet turned the flashlight in its mouth in the direction of the voice, revealing Hau holding onto a small grey device, similar looking to a Pokedex but with more dials and buttons.

“Hau,” Moon stated, an unimpressed frown forming on her face.

“No, that’s not Hau,” Lillie said, before pointing to Hau, standing to her right, “That’s Hau.” Lillie blinked. “Wait,  _ what _ ?!”

The Hau to her right cocked his head and raised his right arm, looking  at the Other Hau, who was already obviously not a mirror-like reflection.

“Ditto,” Moon stated, pulling a Pokeball from her bag. With practiced precision, it soared through the air and hit the Other Hau square in the forehead.

“Ow,” he muttered. Though, he seemed to brush the injury off and instead started to glance between the party of three and the device in his hands. Finally, he pressed a button on the remote and, as the only way Lillie could think to describe it, poofed out of existence.

As soon as the Other Hau disappeared, the tunnel began to shift and shake around them. The Hau at their side began to fade away, looking at himself completely aware he was beginning to disappear, yet unable to speak. Lillie picked up the cowering Rockruff as Moon did the same for her Eevee. The two pushed themselves together, unknowing of what was currently happening around them, only seeking the other for comfort through the confusion.

Lillie closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to consume her vision.

* * *

 

There was light.

Lillie opened her eyes, now staring back at the entrance it felt like she had just entered in. Everything was hazy, but she could have sworn something very bad had just happened; something about Hau holding a remote control of some kind. She felt like she had been walking for a very long time, at least that’s what the quickly growing nausea was telling her, so she decided to sit down and watch the passing rain, with Moon doing the same by her side.

There was an uncomfortable silence. It should have been relaxing, it should have reminded Lillie of a scene from long ago, but something felt unsettled within Lillie’s heart that she couldn’t quite place.

Meanwhile, behind the two, four Pokemon attacked a boy who was waiting to jump out at their trainers and yell, “Boo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's probably not good.
> 
> Sorry this is up late, my computer was having issues so I couldn't post it.
> 
> Things get less less creepy next week when I try to write a Pokemon battle; cya then.


	9. vs Hau

Lillie and Rowlet looked to the top of one of the wooden pillars that made Iki Town’s entrance. Behind her, as usual, was Moon, also looking upward, but currently thinking about if it was a good idea to juggle the two Pokeballs containing her new team rather than thinking of something sentimental. Hau had ran off ahead to talk to the Kahuna, his grandfather, leaving the two alone.

“It’s only been about two days,” Lillie muttered, “And we’ve already come full circle. We would have been here sooner even, if it weren’t for me wanting to go the full route and the rain.” She turned to Moon and smiled. “When you were on your island challenge, it took about half a week to get here.”

Moon shot her an annoyed glance; Lillie shrunk back.

“Okay, so maybe you got a little preoccupied with trainer school, and the Tauros, and Team Skull, and,” she bit her lip and looked away, “Me. I mean, I did cause you a good bit even during just the first-”

The self-loathing thoughts that had started to sprout in her mind at that moment were cut off by Rowlet leaping from her head (well, her hat) to attack a Pikipek that had landed where his nest once was. With a quick peck, the Pikipek was knocked out and sent falling off the side.

Lillie gasped and leaped forward, managing to avoid hitting the pillar with her face, only slamming her shoulder into it. She fell forward, wincing from the collision, and the Pikipek landed on her back. After taking a moment to recover, she slid the small bird off and rolled onto her back; another moment later and she was spraying it with a potion. Finally, she pulled herself forward and got onto her feet, slowly pushing herself up to avoid putting too much pressure on her injured arm.

Rubbing her arm, she looked onto a smiling Moon and a bored Dartix.

“Huh?” Lillie walked over to the now much taller bird and bent down to examine/pet it. “Did hurting that bird seriously make you evolve?” She turned to Moon. “This is Rowlet’s evolution, right?” Moon nodded.

“Hey, guys!” Lillie turned away from her owl to see Hau waving and rushing toward them. “Good news!”

Moon cocked her head as Lillie asked the obvious, “What’s going on?”

“I got permission from Gramps.” He took a Pokeball from his belt and threw it into the sky; what fell first was a black orb with a mouth and eyes, what fell second was the open Pokeball onto Lillie’s head. “Lillie, you’re officially gonna be my first opponent as a Kahuna-In-Training!”

Moon pumped her fists in the air, a wide smile spreading. Lillie clapped.

Hau glanced left and right, a devious grin dressing his face as he sidled up to Lillie and whispered, “I have a plan to help you with Moon. Just trust me, and hopefully it doesn’t end with me being attacked by you guys’s Pokemon again.” He backed up and gave a double thumbs-up as he turned around and walked into town. “Come on, let’s go!”

Lillie’s face filled with despair as Moon draped her arm around her side and dragged her to what felt like her doom.

* * *

 On the small stage of Iki Town, illuminated by the slowly growing moonlight, Lillie nervously held a Pokeball in her hand as Hau stretched opposite her. Just to her side was Moon, off the stage and in the middle of her two Pokemon. Eevee had its front paws on the stage to watch as Zubat did its best to hang upside down from Moon’s watermelon bag.

“Okay,” Hau said, “Let’s make this a bit more interesting.” He turned the side of his belt holding two Pokeballs to Lillie, his Gastly already in front of him. “I’ve got three Pokemon on my team and you’ve got two. It’s a bit unfairly stacked against you and you’re a new trainer, so let’s give you a little incentive to try your best.”

 _Oh Arceus, what is he planning._ “And that is…?”

“A little game of Truth or Dare. Whenever one of us loses a Pokemon, we either have to answer a question or do a little dare. Though, now that I think about it, we don’t have time to do many dares, so let’s just do truth for the first Pokemon knocked out and a dare if we lose.” He grinned and winked.

“If he’s planning what I think he’s planning...” Lillie muttered, before turning to Moon and speaking in her usual volume, “You think this is a good idea?”

Moon mimicked Hau’s double thumbs up and nodded vigorously.

“See, Moon’s down with this! Let’s go!” He shot a finger forward. “You’re up, Gastly!” The Gastly drifted forward toward the middle of the stage.

Lillie bit her lip and waved Dartix forward, getting him to hop in front of the Gastly. “Row-- I mean, Dartix, give it your best!”

 _Okay, okay, okay. Let’s think about this._ Lillie pulled out her Pokedex. _Gastly is a Ghost type. Dartix is a Grass and Flying type, even though he can’t use his wings. Dartix isn’t weak to Ghost types, but Gastly is resistant to flying attacks so I shouldn’t have him use Peck, even though he really likes it._

“Gastly, Lick him!”

“Oh jeez, we’re starting.”

Gastly drifted through the air and stuck out his tongue to smack Dartix with it. Dartix cringed and slunk back a bit as Gastly returned to its position.

Lillie checked over Dartix’s moves again. Tackle, Peck, Astonish, and Razor Leaf. _Tackle would have no effect on it and Peck is resisted. I should probably go with--_ “Dartix! Try for Razor Leaf!”

Dartix opened its left wing, sending a barrage of leaves sailing toward the apparition. The leaves didn’t exactly make contact, as Gastly was a non-physical entity, but she did seem to close her eyes and wince as the projectiles soared through it, going straight to Hau. Fortunately, he saw this coming and jumped out of the way in time.

“Whoa! Lillie, be sure to watch out of that if you get a ghost type! Gastly, Sucker Punch!”

Dartix prepared for any movements, only to feel a harsh knock from behind. He fell to the ground, panting, but quickly tried to stand back up. As he did, he snapped his head 180 to only find a fist slowly dissipating into the air. Dartix gritted his teeth and ran toward the ghost, clasping its beak shut as it launched into the air and began to aim itself at his opponent.

“Dartix, no!”

Lillie’s shout came too late, as the bird pierced through the gaseous being and hit the ground. It flipped back to its side of the stage and began to glare at Gastly. Gastly herself didn’t seem to be doing too well; probably from the attack and not the glare.

“Dartix,” Lillie pouted, “You’ve got to listen to what I say; we could have knocked her out that turn if you used Razor Leaf or Aston--”

“Okay, Gastly, that seemed to do the trick! Go for two!”

Rowlet once again snapped his head around to predict the attack, but was then knocked to the ground from the front. Lillie looked at the bird, bending down to check on him, but Dartix put his left wing on the ground and pushed himself up. He turned back around and stared down Gastly, who was also panting, both nearing the end of their ropes.

Lillie clenched her fist and looked over her Pokedex one more time. “Use Astonish!”

Dartix waddled himself back to look toward Lillie, giving a confused look, before hopping back around, sending what could only be described as a wave of energy toward the nearly-finished Pokemon, knocking it to the ground.

Hau pulled an open Pokeball from his belt and recalled Gastly. He sighed and turned the button-side of the ball to him, “You did good, buddy.” He looked up to Lillie, the Dartix who was using its good wing to support itself, and Moon who had somehow acquired pom poms and was cheering Lillie on from the side. “Okay, so what are you dying to know about me?”

“Uh,” Lillie looked to Moon, who shrugged, and then turned back to Hau, “I haven’t actually thought of one.” She took a moment to think before saying, “Have any of your ‘plans’ actually worked?”

“Heck yeah! When I was in a cave with Gladion once I told a ghost story and then acted like I scared myself with it so I could get closer to him and he stuck to me like glue.”

“There’s no way Gladion fell for _that_.”

“Well he still stayed with me, so it worked either way!” He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and opened it toward the stage. “You’re up, Makuhita!”

“Hang in there, Dart! You’re resistant to fighting types and he’s weak to flying!” She looked down at her Pokedex. “Alright, you’re faster! Peck away!”

Dartix leaped forward, beak aimed straight at the large fighter. He collided straight into his opponent’s stomache, the fat providing a sort of cushion allowing for him to jump back with a bit of ease. Makuhita slumped down, having been incredibly drained of energy from Dartix’s attack; unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to down him entirely.

“Let’s finish him! Use Knock Off!”

Despite its burly appearance and readily apparent lack of energy, Makuhita still lumbered forward toward Dartix, who prepared for a forceful blow. Makuhita stopped right before the bird, raised its hand high into the sky, and then lightly slapped Dartix, who fell to the ground with a small thud.

Lillie recalled her companion into his Pokeball. “Losing on his first battle after evolution; he is not gonna be happy about this. Though I guess he kind of brought it on himself for not listening to me.” She tossed the ball to Moon. “Can you use a revive on him and heal him up? I’ll pay you back later.” Moon nodded and pumped her spare pompom in the air while Lillie returned to Hau and pulled her other in-use Pokeball from her bag and opened it. “Rockruff, let’s play!”

Hau jumped back, shocked. “Wait, crap, I thought you were the one with Eevee!” Lillie smiled, but that was quickly overruled by despair when Hau followed with, “Well, your Pokemon is down, so it’s my turn to ask a question.” She braced for impact. “Do you have a crush on anyone?”

Lillie gulped. She had to say something that wouldn’t make Hau raise an objection of her lying but not give herself away to Moon. Or, maybe even worse, make Moon think she had a crush on someone else entirely. Finally, she came up with the best response she could.

_I guess you could call it that…_

“If by ‘crush’ you mean ‘hopelessly in love’, yeah.”

Hau blinked, awkwardly looking between Lillie and Moon.

“Wait,” Lillie said after a moment, “Did I say the part I wanted to think and think the part I wanted to say?” Hau nodded and gave a thumbs up. “Crap. Uh,” she looked down at her Pokemon, not daring to glance at Moon, “Rockruff, use Rock Throw!”

The small dog gave a bork and started to nuzzle into the tuft around its neck, eventually reemerging with a rock in its mouth. It began to spin around, the opposing Makuhita only braced itself having already accepted this would probably knock it out. Finally, after having spun around about a dozen times (having forgotten about the rock it was holding and instead chasing its tail after turn three), it launched the rock toward Makuhita, sending it crashing to the ground.

“Crap, crap, crap,” Hau muttered, recalling Makuhita. “Uh, so what’s your next question, then?”

Lillie thought a moment, and, unable to come up with anything, asked, “Is this truth or dare thing really necessary?”

Hau gave his usual double thumbs up, though noticeably more nervous than usual. “Yes! Excellent question!” He bit his lip and set free his final Pokemon. “Let’s Go, Pikachu!” A yellow mouse-like creature appeared from the light, though currently asleep; Hau got on a knee next to the small Pokemon. “Oh, crud, give me a second to wake him up.”

“Didn’t you have a Pikachu on your team a year and a half ago?”

“I have, like, ten. They’re cute. One time I fought Lana with a team full of ‘em; she was kind of peeved about it.” He laughed, poking Pikachu awake. “Come on, buddy, we’ve got a fight to do. Now go and use Thunder Shock!”

Pikachu yawned and got on her hind legs, letting electricity swirl in her cheeks and eventually shoot it to Rockruff.. Meanwhile, Lillie browsed through the Pokedex. _Rockruff is hopelessly outmatched in speed, and the missing leg doesn’t help,  so no matter what I do Pikachu will go first and this seems to be the type of match-up that all comes down to that. To make things worse, Thunder Shock can paralyse him. I have Paralyze Heals, but that would only waste a turn and let more damage be inflicted. I have to limit the chances of it happening, or else Hau will probably dare me to ask Moon out._

Rockruff hadn’t sustained much damage, though the electricity did make his coat poof up, so he was currently licking it back down. “Rockruff, use Sand Attack!” With a jolt, he took his mind off his current activity, turned around, and went to kick his hind legs onto the stage, kicking up sand that seemed to be previously invisible.

While it would rationally move slowly, the sand hurled itself toward the Pikachu like an impassable wall. Hau covered his head as the sand covered both Pikachu and himself. “Could you please stop attacking me?” He coughed a bit, as he accidentally inhaled some of the sand still hanging in the air. “Pikachu,” He hacked and coughed some more, “Use Thun--” More coughing. “Just- Just keep using Thunder Shock. I’ll tell you when to stop. I need to sit down.”

As Hau lowered himself to the ground, Pikachu once again began to circulate energy through his cheeks. This time, though, instead of it latching onto the small dog, it instead flew clear behind him, nearly shocking Lillie instead.

Moon gasped, holding her pom poms to her face, as Lillie turned to look at where the thunder landed, only about a foot away from her.

“That, that was a bit too close.” She looked down at her Pokedex again, trying to determine what move to use next. “Okay, Rockruff, just keep using Bite! This match is as good as ours!”

Rockruff gave a yip of joy and tumbled over to Pikachu, jumping into a small, almost playful bite. Still, the bite drained Pikachu’s energy and Rockruff returned to his trainer’s side.

And, after a turn similar to the last, with the only real exception being Lillie ducking and hiding behind the stage when a Thunder Shock was unleashed, Pikachu fainted and the match ended.

Lillie returned to the stage, slightly aware of frantic rush of pom poms, a dog’s small bark, and the calls of a bat to her side. Immediately in front of her was an out-of-breath Rockruff, running in a circle and chasing his tail in victory. Further, on the other side of the stage, was Hau, sitting cross-legged and recalling his Pikachu.

Lillie smiled, putting a hand to her mouth. “I- I did it.” In a rush she kneeled to the ground, picked up Rockruff, and began to twirl around. “We did it!”

Rockruff yipped in agreement.

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Hau said, standing up, “We still have to go through some motions.” He pulled out a small cube with ‘Hau’ written on it and extended it to Lillie who was walking toward him. “Here’s your complimentary victory cube. Usually it would be Fightinium Z, but you already know the full story behind that.” He smirked. “Now then; you can have me do anything in the world. What’ll it be?”

Lillie smiled. She’d known what to ask of him since he came up with the idea in the first place. “Please,” she said, “Never make me go through with one of your plans ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was a heck of a chapter writing-wise. Honestly, this was my first time writing an action scene (if you could call it that), so I'm not surprised it came out clunky.
> 
> So, after next chapter there's gonna be a bit of a break. I don't know how long it will be, unfortunately. Basically, I want to rework the story going forward and I don't know how long that will take and then I move back into college and have to deal with classes. But, before that we have one more chapter with some stuff I'm actually good at writing.
> 
> Get ready for some...
> 
> F L U F F A N D A N G S T


	10. Sleepover

Lillie and Moon sat on the stage in Iki Town, looking above at the stars and full moon in complete silence. About half an hour had passed since Lillie had managed her win against Hau, who was currently somewhere else with his grandfather. Their Pokemon were resting inside their Pokeballs (well, in Dartix’s case, brooding inside his Pokeball). All that remained in the town were those inside their homes, and the two sitting on the stage, only illuminated by the town’s torches and the stars.

Though, eventually, the silence had to be broken.

“I think we should start going back to our homes,” Lillie said, “It’s getting late and neither of us have had dinner yet.” She yawned. “And, honestly, today’s felt longer than it should. I kind of want to get to bed.”

Moon shot Lillie a sad glance, but then turned away and nodded with a pout. She slid off the stage and looked into her bag, making sure she had her Pokemon in place. Lillie did the same too, though also trying to let Dartix out to no avail. As she put Dartix back in her bag, she heard a sharp gasp to her left. She turned to face her friend.

“Moon? What’s wrong?”

Moon grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously, stars in her eyes. “Sleepover!”

* * *

Before she knew it, Lillie stood on the porch of Moon’s home, her bag now with the addition of a change of clothes and a night dress. A wave of nervousness overcame her as a million thoughts ran through her head, keeping her frozen in place and not daring to knock on the door.

_Have I ever actually been inside Moon’s home? I don’t think I have, and if I did it was so brief I’ve forgotten what it looks like._ She looked up. The porch light was on, she was obviously expected. _Oh, I really hope she doesn’t think I’ve blown her off. Or- or maybe they’ve noticed me just standing here and are waiting for me. Gosh, I hope that’s not the case._

Still, with these thoughts in her mind, she remained in place, clutching onto the strap of her bag. A few more minutes passed, Lillie’s mind having grown hollow of thought. She needed something to prod her forward, something to remind her she existed, something like Moon, now hatless in a blue t-shirt, parting the blinds on the door’s window and waving.

Lillie stepped back, snapping to reality, before waving back with a faulty smile. Truth be told, she still wasn’t fully ready to enter, but it wasn’t like she could run away. This was especially true because Moon was already opening the door.

“Lillie!” Moon threw open the door with a wide smile on her face, only for it to morph into a cringe as the door slammed against the wall.

“Moon,” her mother called from inside, “What did I say about opening the door like that? It’ll damage the house!”

Moon, still grimacing, held her hands together at her chest before calling back, “Sorry!” She stepped aside and held a hand toward the inside of the home, welcoming Lillie in.

The home was relatively small, especially when compared to the fortress that was Aether Paradise. It consisted of an open kitchen to the left and a table with three chairs surrounding it straight ahead. Right behind the table was a couch, currently occupied by the kind of Meowth she had seen in Kanto looking forward to a television. However, the main center of attraction was placed on the table itself.

On the table was a wide array of foods local to Alola, such as Malasadas that were obviously going to be tried to be saved for dessert, or just themed after the tropics, like the only drink present being the pitcher of lemonade. To the left of the table was Moon’s mother, setting down a bowl of fruits; she turned and waved to Lillie when she noticed the blonde. It was overwhelming how much food there was, if there was any more Lillie would call it a buffet.

Moon grabbed Lillie, who was still mesmerized by the feast, by the hand and dragged her toward it. She pulled out the chair to the right and ushered Lillie into it before sliding into the middle chair herself.

“Well, you’ve arrived just in time,” Moon’s mom said as she sat herself down in the third chair, “I just finished setting everything up.” She began to put some food on her plate, pulling primarily from the fruit bowl she had just placed, and prompted the other two to do the same. “Think of this as a second ‘Welcome Home’ party, since apparently your home doesn’t feel much like one right now. Moon said you might have missed the Alolan cuisine after being gone so long.”

Moon, who was stockpiling malasadas on her plate, reached to grab another but instead diverted her hand over the side of her mouth her mother could see. “She would have done this even if I didn’t say that,” she whispered to Lillie, “She’s been obsessed with tropical food since she decided we should move to a different region.”

Lillie giggled as Moon turned back to plate, only to find about half of her malasadas missing. “Snitch tax,” Moon’s mother said, face stuffed with a malasada, “Now eat up before the tax collector strikes again.”

Moon began to throw food from the different bowls onto her plate and immediately dove into the pile of food. Lillie gazed at her friend for a moment before reaching into the food selection and pulling out a small pile of berries.

* * *

Lillie knocked on the door to Moon’s room, now dressed in a white nightgown. “Moon,” she called, “I’m done changing.”

A moment later, the black-haired girl answered her friend, opening the door with the hand not currently holding a small, worn out, Clefairy doll. She smiled and beckoned Lillie inside, closing the door behind her friend.

Lillie looked onto the room, searching for anything of note. There was a small, dusty gaming console in the back corner, a desk toward the back, and a bed to her right. There were various plushes of Pokemon scattered about the room, mostly littered on the floor, and what seemed to be a real Sylveon sleeping on the desk. Lillie didn’t recognize it from Moon’s first team; she must have gotten it as a teammate later on but decided it made a better pet.

Her analysis of the room was cut off by the light going out. She felt a small brush as Moon passed her and jumped into her bed, waving Lillie toward her as she laid down and covered herself in blankets.

“Oh,” Lillie said, “And where’s the spare mattress or sleeping bag?”

Moon cocked her head in confusion, lightly visible in the moonlight.

“W- Wait, you mean we’re sharing your bed?” Lillie’s heart rate sped up, the heart itself threatening to break free of her chest.

Moon nodded.

Lillie could have passed out there on the spot, if it weren’t from the earnest excitement from Moon’s eyes piercing her soul. Hesitative, she stepped forward, making her way to the bed and her waiting friend. Moon slid further in, leaving room for Lillie to lie down beside her. Lillie kept quiet as she fumbled herself onto the bed and under the covers.

It was hot, at least to Lillie. It might have been due to the eternal summer’s night brushing into the room through the open window, or due to having two people under one set of blankets, or maybe it was just her face burning red as she turned away from her crush, who was less than an inch behind her and facing her way. Either way, it made getting comfortable difficult.

There was a few moment’s silence, during which Lillie did her best to feign comfort. However, the silence was broken by a quick gasp from Lillie, quickly followed up by her hoping Moon hadn’t already fallen asleep and saying, “Moon, thanks for tonight.” There was silence, but she felt some movement behind her. “Your mom’s a great cook and it’s been forever since I’ve had a home cooked meal. Heck, it’s been forever since I’ve been somewhere that felt like home. If I had a choice in it, I’d have never had this feeling go away.”

“Then why did you leave?”

The question shot through Lillie’s heart. It seemed to have been suddenly formulated but also thought about for some time. The question had to have been on her mind, everyone’s mine for some time; it was really only a matter of who and when it would be asked. They all knew why she left, to help her mother, but they still didn’t know why she’d want to help her mother after all she had done. It took Lillie a moment to respond, her voice faltering as she spoke.

“B- Because I wanted to help. I- I wanted mother to get better. It felt like- all I could d- do. E- Even though, I-” She sniffled and a tear ran down her cheek, soon followed by another, then another, until she was just flat-out crying. “I didn’t help at all! I just sat around, failing to do everything I tried. I asked if I could help and they just kept sending me back to my hotel, I tried to do my own research but I never found anything, I asked if I could see my mother and she didn’t look me in the face!” She covered her face with her hands. “I came back because, after an entire year and a half, I didn’t even have anything close to a success. I didn’t help my mother, I didn’t make any friends, all I ended up doing was looking after Pokemon in Professor Oak’s lab!”

Moon put a nervous hand on Lillie’s shoulder, doing her best to be encouraging. “But at least she’s getting better, right?”

Lillie bit her lip, trying to stop her crying. It took a minute to compose herself but her tears eventually stopped, though her voice remained shaken and hoarse. “No. She’s not.” She clutched her hands to her chest, closing her eyes to try and prevent herself from crying again. “She’s only gotten worse. She refuses to acknowledge me, she’s still muttering things about Nihilego. One time, when I was trying to talk to her, I mentioned you and she gathered up enough strength to throw a flower vase at me.” She choked up. “The madness has consumed her. I- It’s like the one sentence she said to me between trying to kill me and getting out of Ultra Space was the last remaining part of her old self. It was like she’d died and been replaced with this monster, but...” More tears. “I know she’s entirely in control; she went down this road long before she merged with Nihilego. She’s just-- she’s not the mother I loved, who loved me. The past year and a half. It was all for nothing.”

She coughed herself into a sob, this time continuing for some minutes. Moon, meanwhile, did her best to be comforting, yet quiet, still with a hand on Lillie’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Lillie eventually choked out, eyes reddened as she flipped herself around to face Moon, “I’ve ruined our sleepover, haven’t I?”

“No,” Moon immediately stated. She did her best to harden her gaze, though she still bit the inside of her mouth in nervousness. “It’s my fault, I shouldn't have asked.” She wrapped her arms around Lillie, pulling her into a tight hug that she refused to let go of. “I’m sorry.”

Lillie continued to cry until she eventually fell into sleep, still locked into her friend’s deep embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I don't think this chapter is as strong as I wanted it to be. Due to a combination of having an overloaded schedule and having to go back and rewrite it a bunch, this one got delayed a bit.
> 
> Speaking of delays, time for one that's gonna go on for a bit. Check out last chapter's notes for more info on that. I'll still be checking the comments and I might respond, but I still don't really know what to say. I don't think the delay go on for much over a month, so see you then.
> 
> Also, I might write a one-off or something for either Lillie/Moon or something else between now and then.


End file.
